Role of Storage Lipids in Vertical Migrations of Beaked Redfish Sebastes mentella in the North Atlantic.

The contents of main classes of storage lipids (triacylglycerols, cholesterol esters, and waxes) in muscles and the liver of the beaked redfish Sebastes mentella were studied across the depth gradient and in different areas of the North Atlantic. Significant differences in storage lipid contents were observed between fish from different fishing horizons. The depth-dependent changes in lipids in fish tissues and organs were assumed to indicate that triacylglycerols (TAGs), cholesterol esters (CEs), and waxes are utilized as energy sources, in particular, to maintain the buoyancy during vertical migration. The results provide a basis for further investigation of the biochemical mechanisms of migration in the commercially valuable species S. mentella of the North Atlantic and other aquatic organisms with similar swimming activities.